The Tormented
by Crimson Orient
Summary: When her fiance died from the car accident she blamed she had caused, his face haunts her in her dreams. XIAOYIN & HWOASUKA, R&R please!
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Hi guys, it's nice to be back with a new story at hand. If you're familiar with the FATAL FRAME series, then there's no problem on why I should explain this. I was inspired to make this story because first of all, I love Tekken; second, I'm currently playing **Fatal Frame III: the Tormented** and I love how scary it is. It's actually **AU**, since I've added this in the Tekken and in the Fatal Frame category. It's absolutely never going to be OOC. I don't know where the crossover department is whatsoever. But if there is, I don't care. LOL. This is like a **walkthrough** because I have had replayed the game, but actually I'm already at the final boss battle. So, I guess after I finish the last FMV, this story will finish too. No sweat, this is like a walkthrough! What happened in the game happens here. But since **there's romance** it's also somewhat different—all of my stories have romance. Okay, that's all, I'll be playing Fatal Frame now…see ya!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Tekken or any of its character. They're obviously owned by **NAMCO**. I also don't own Fatal Frame III, coz **TECMO** owns it. And I'm just thanking these two great companies for creating our beloved games.

-o-o-o-

_**The Tormented**_

_**By: Elie**_

-o-o-o-

"Where am I?" Ling Xiaoyu asked herself in dread. Snowflakes were falling down her head. The air around her was blowing miasma—a noxious exhalation coming from decaying matter. She was in some sort of delirium. But standing in a grave courtyard enclosed inside some big manor seemed so real.

Craning her head to all sides, Xiaoyu fought the urge of quaking. The snow continued to fall but there was no drift of it except that it formed a small mound on top of each tomb. There was an old wooden wall around the courtyard too that seemed to enclose it. The place doesn't really looked that ghastly, it's just plain antique.

"How did I get here?" Xiaoyu swallowed. All she had remembered was nothing like this. She was just taking photos of an abandoned Japanese mansion minutes ago. They said that mansion was haunted…but maybe rumors were just rumors. Or was it minutes ago?

"The mansion…Jin was in the mansion…" Xiaoyu paused for a moment, rethinking what had really happened. Actually, she was finished taking photos of that mansion when Asuka Kazama, her assistant and her fiancé's cousin, came to call her for a break. But she was too reluctant to leave. She wanted to take one last photo of a barred hallway. After she took the shot of the hallway only, something appeared along with it. Something that wasn't there before…

_Ting_

That sound. It seemed like a bell's soft sound. Xiaoyu then felt her hair stick out. She looked again to all sides, hoping she could find the source of the sound because it was getting fainter and fainter by the second. But all she found was a big old wooden double door instead.

She began to move a few small steps toward it with the moon's light as her only guide. She was moving very carefully so that the graveyard soil won't get stuck on her doll shoes.

_Ting_

The sound was weakening. Xiaoyu walked even faster but she halted when something glowing lightly suddenly appeared in front of the door. It was a man. Xiaoyu started to wonder who it was. But she immediately recognized the blue polo shirt…the exact same shirt her fiancé was wearing during the accident.

"Jin?" Xiaoyu murmured and questioned in shock and amazement. She couldn't believe it. It really was her fiancé, Jin Kazama! And it seemed that he was heading for the door too. If only she could reach him before he goes inside. But wait, Jin is already…

"Jin!"

Xiaoyu cried and ran toward him. She tried calling out his name for several times but to no avail, it just seemed that he wasn't able to hear her at all. Nevertheless, she kept on running even though vivid images of his memories kept flashing on her head. But as soon as she almost got there, he vanished. Or did he really just walk past the door?

Xiaoyu squinted in astonishment. Jin just walked past that door! She approached it herself, careful not to dig her shoes into the mud. But she suddenly tripped onto something. It was an old fashioned flashlight. Xiaoyu sighed at this in relief. Now she can go further in…deeper inside the manor.

Slowly, she picked it up. It was a small black single-switch flashlight carved with ancient Chinese characters at the side. Maybe it wasn't used for years because the bulb was a bit cracked. But something inside her was so sure that she's going to hold onto this for a long, long while. So, she turned it on, focusing at the door.

"Maybe if I go in…then maybe I would see Jin inside." She inhaled deeply as she began to push the double doors open.

_Ting_

The bell tingled again and Xiaoyu disgustingly breathed again the miasma. She was now finally inside the mansion. No more mud, no more snow…Just an old hall with a tatami mat and a deadlier air.

_Ting_

Jin appeared and walked ahead of her again. She turned her head and cried out for him.

"Jin, wait! I still have so much to tell you! Jin!"

-o-o-o-

**A/N:** To be continued…after my finals. LOL. I want to hear your comments, suggestions, death threats, etc…so please care to review. Thank you for R and R-ing!


	2. The Sound of the Bell

**A/N:** Finally! I have finished playing Fatal Frame III in normal mode! There were these really cool features that I've unlocked. The ending was so great (I cried) that I have to thank **TECMO** and **PROJECT Zero **for making such an awesome storyline! I'm recommending this game to everyone in the world!Thank you for the wonderful reviews!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters and the storyline...'nuff said.

-o-o-o-

_**The Tormented**_

_**By: Elie**_

-o-o-o-

Eyes now filled with tremor, Xiaoyu felt a familiar eerie sensation now that she's inside the mansion. She turned on the flashlight and focused it on what's before her. There was a big cubicle covered in paper paneled doors. In the cubicle, there was a small opening on the window screen in which you can see through on what's happening inside.

'_No one must enter the shrine and spill the rift…'_

Xiaoyu turned white. Is it really what she heard? Someone was also inside the mansion, and that a loud grumpy voice could be heard inside the cubicle. Xiaoyu felt her heart rise. It was because she was hopeful that she wasn't alone in this scary mansion, and yet afraid because she doesn't know to whom the voice was.

"_I need to get out of here…"_ Xiaoyu thought to herself, gripping the flashlight in her hand. The mansion was as cold as ice. It was quiet as well, except if some unexpected noise would thunder out of nowhere. The situation was getting real weird as well as the darkness that seemed to grow when it was just noontime a while ago.

Moving her hands to her pockets, Xiaoyu found something bulging from the right part. Curiously, she took it out, and to her surprise, it was the least expected thing she would bring if she were on a trip to a haunted house. _"My camera! I forgot that I have this with me!" _

Like a teenager on a ghost haunting, Xiaoyu moved closer to the cubicle and took a peek at the slightly opened paper doors. What she discovered though, made her either want to puke or faint. However, it was too interesting to die on the spot. This was surely an opportunity she couldn't miss.

Standing on the floorboards, there was a man with his back turned, dressed in white priest robes and a tall scout hat on top of his head. He looked transparent and ghastly. Indeed, no doubt that it was a _ghost_.

Quickly, Xiaoyu aligned her camera at the ghost and focused its shutter at the head part. Before she took the shot, she heard it mumbling to himself problematically. If only she could get out of this place quick, she would develop the film right away.

Taking off the camera from her face, Xiaoyu took a last peep at the slightly opened door to see if the ghost was still there. But to no avail, it was gone. Her eyebrows then began to meet each other. _"Was what I saw real?"_

Satisfied, she walked up to where the real opening of the cubicle was. Actually, the cubicle was some kind of hearth room where the tea ceremonies are usually held. Judging from its burnt facade, it looks like an old, rotten place.

_Ting_

"_The sound again!"_ Xiaoyu wiggled the flashlight almost to anywhere around the room. She discovered there were a stair and an open second floor. There was also a seemingly old and burnt paper closet. Xiaoyu ignored these, though, and turned to where a bright object seemed to be walking…

_Ting_

"Jin!" Xiaoyu cried, seeing to it that the bright object was Jin's _spirit_. Jin died in a car accident a month ago right in the area where a similar mansion as to this one was said to have had existed. "Don't go Jin!"

Xiaoyu ran after Jin until he dissolved in her midst. Xiaoyu stopped dead at a door and began to think twice before opening it.

"_Who dares disturb the Priestess?"_

Freezing, Xiaoyu turned her head behind her back just to see the very same ghost earlier was running up to her carrying a blood soaked scythe.

"_You cannot escape!"_

Xiaoyu was speechless and she was trembling as hard as before. It was impossible. How can a real ghost kill her? That is, if this was just a dream…

Turning back to the door as well, Xiaoyu pushed it open and ran as fast as she could along the narrow corridor up to the wide staircase. The Priestly ghost was just behind her back, crying out the same sentences over and over again.

"_This has to end!" _Xiaoyu shouted in her mind, reaching a door that seemed to be her final solution. She thrust her body against it and broke it open. But all she saw was bright light and then she was…out.

_Ting_

The sound of the bell tingled again. Something bright was walking toward a big double door. It was Jin's spirit. Xiaoyu couldn't make out much of him, though. A tall, slender tree was blocking the view and some bamboo stakes were sprouting out with doll-like objects skewered in them. The miasma was getting thicker, deadlier, as well.

Xiaoyu ran to where Jin disappeared into a while ago, and passed by an opening to a narrow space.

"_Stay here…Forever…"_

There, she saw a little long haired girl wearing a kimono. The girl seemed to give her a sinister smile before vanishing. She shivered at this a bit and continued to run.

"I want to be with you Jin," Xiaoyu panted heavily but kept on going until she reached the door and pushed it open, "because you were always there with me!"

A bright light shone again and Xiaoyu just found herself in a big _shrine._ The shrine itself seemed to have been enclosed in the manor. _"Is this really the Kuze Shrine?"_

The _Kuze Shrine_ is a legendary shrine located in the mountains. It is where people are said to offer up their pains for the ones they have lost or loved. A _Priestess_ takes on the pain by engraving a _tattoo_ on her body. After these tattoos or pains have filled her body, the Priestess must sleep for eternity and dream of these pains. But there's something more…

_Ting_

In front of her, there was another shrine not far from where she was standing. And there was Jin, facing her now.

"Jin!" Xiaoyu ran toward the shrine and held up her hand. She waved it madly and cried out Jin's name several times. "I have something to tell you!"

"Xiao," To her surprise, Jin spoke. Her heart squeezed, and it yearned for him like crazy. She stopped running and halted in front of the five-stepped stairs, glancing at Jin who was staring down at her as well. "Xiao….I…"

"Jin, I'm so so—"

Her sentence was cut short when she immediately returned back to reality. She was holding her camera and was facing a barred hallway. Struggling to compose herself, Xiaoyu looked around to find Asuka. "Was that all an...illusion?"

"Xiao, are you okay? You were staring blankly over there for quite a while." Asuka Kazama asked, holding a camera stand with her. She looked at her boss with sincere concern.

"Yeah…I'm fine." Xiaoyu answered, wiping the sweat on her forehead. She looked around the place one more time, and shrugged. "I though this place was haunted…"

"Maybe rumors are just rumors…" Asuka said, taking the brief case full of camera equipment with the stand. "I'm going to load these up." She glanced around the room as well and went outside.

Xiaoyu remained. She couldn't quite explain what happened especially that Jin was in it. All she wanted to do was to say…sorry.

The mansion was another story. When she got home and slept, she dreamt of it again. Somehow in her heart, if she goes there, deeper and further, she would see Jin…again.

-o-o-o-

**A/N:** Okay, what do you guys think? My computer's video card had a problem, but now we bought a new one and it's really cool and powerful, so I guess I'm going to update more often. Hopefully, you guys will review! See ya!


	3. Hour I: The Sign

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews! By the way, I know some ideas here might not relate to you at all, but it's all part of the story. I will gather more information next time…all right…now read on…

-o-o-o-

_**The Tormented**_

_**By: Elie**_

-o-o-o-

_This place is…_

Intriguingly, she was somewhat back in the same mansion as before. The air no longer mingled with miasma and the surroundings weren't the same monochromatic picture like yesterday. It was still quiet inside, though, quickly streaming possibilities of horror into Xiaoyu's fragile mind.

Snow was still falling as Xiaoyu could vividly see it through the door's boxlike peephole. Spanning to where a faint lighted candle glowed, she turned on the flashlight she was questionably carrying to see where she really was. _The same house, but not the same area…_ she assumingly thought, walking the path to a small hallway.

Her body was beginning to endure the cold already. Touching something hanging on her neck and resting on her chest, she looked down to see her 35mm camera again. Odd, though, that this particular object is presentagain nowthat she's back in the mansion.

The attire she's wearing to her notice, however, made her heart waver in shock. This was the clothing she had worn during the night of Jin's accident – a pink low cut top accentuated with a black lace tied in a corset style at the back. She had her silver small heeled shoes unfittingly go with a baby-blue pedal pants.

Although her assumptions were quite agreeable, she still has to prove it – that is, if she goes in further, she will get a chance to see Jin again, and or find out about this place's mystery.

However, the door is just right there at the back. She was in the foyer or entrance of the mansion. And she could still get out any minute now.

Xiaoyu shut her eyes in guilt and regret. Thinking of Jin makes her remember the accident. She blamed herself for that – of her careless driving on that stormy night…

The door is just right at her back. If she turns, then she could get out. But if she goes back, she would never see Jin…forevermore. And when she would step further, chances are…

_Ting_

The familiar sound of the bell tingled again, making her jolt in amazement. It was the very same sound that brought her closer to him. If she finds it again…then she would…

_Ting_

A shadowy figure slowly emerged from the dead side of a corridor leading to a small corner. The candle began to swoosh madly with the wind to Xiaoyu's bewilderment, and she felt her heart tighten within each flickering. Ignoring the door completely, she moved a few steps forward.

_Go to the other side…Go to the other side…_

Something played in her head, a song, yet she didn't care. She was too busy assuring to whose figure it was. All of a sudden, a feeling jabbed her, of which she would wholly regret – the urge of pursuing the one person she loves was too strong to keep her backing out of the game.

_Go…further…deeper…go…just go in…_

Yes, she was walking extremely fast toward the dark figure. No looking back, ignoring the door, abandoning the sole option of escaping… The only important thing now is to see Jin again…

The figure turned to her direction, slowly walking in front of the limelight. Suddenly, the candle soon went out and the only light alive was coming from her flashlight, which was readily aimed at that in front of her.

Jin Kazama, although dead, was appearing before her, still bearing his handsome features and the blackness of his hair. He looked somber and a bit tired. "Xiao…?"

"Jin!" Xiao cried, keeping herself composed. She knew that Jin is dead, and seeing him standing and speaking in front of her was unbelievably deniable. She hesitated in walking toward him, though, but she still did. "But you're…" she spoke but immediately kept quiet, ready to hear him speak again first.

"I know. I'm dead," He kept his head down, hiding a frown. "So…"

His pallid skin radiated a bit, remarking the unusual glow his body had emitted last time. The blue polo shirt he wore was slightly tattered, showing off a few scars on the area affected by the crash. Xiaoyu noticed these and started to burst into tears.

"Jin, I have a lot of things to –"

She was shushed by Jin's continuation. "So, don't follow me anymore. Go back, before it's too late…"

_Ting_

Her nerves squeezed tight, unable to accept the fact – her fiancé's death. She stared at Jin who was turning his back against her now. She opened her mouth to protest, but to no avail, Jin had already walked away, disappearing once again from her midst.

Standing defeated by her own emotions, Xiaoyu frantically fell on her knees, crying. She held out a hand to the limelight where Jin had gone, seeing that the engangement ring he had given her was shining beautifully. It was a simple gold ring with the words TOGETHERengraved on it.And yet, there are so many things that she wanted to tell Jin…so many which she hadn't told him when he was still alive. This very reason kept her going, made her survivein order to find ways to tell him even if he's dead. The chance was there earlier, but now it's gone…

_What am I supposed to do now? _She thought as she tried to find her lost self completely.

_Ting! Ting! Ting!_

The repeating tingling was not the same sound as from before. It was different, very high-pitched, and hammering. Xiaoyu then stood up. Wiping her tears, she went to find where that hammering was coming from. There were two doors at the foyer area, one at the left and the other at the right. The sound was coming loudly from the right side, so, Xiaoyu didn't leave it at there. She followed her instincts.

Once she had opened the door, two figures stood afar near a hearth place. She swung the door open and went inside cautiously. There was a blood soaked yukata wearing mother and daughter, holding each other's hand protectively.

"_Where is he...?"_

The door immediately closed shut, making Xiaoyu stumble back. Turning to where the two apparitions stood earlier, she was surprised to see them…gone.

_Ting! Ting! Ting!_

The sound was deafening as usual. It was coming from above. There was a staircase at the left and a ladder at the far right. Looking through the end of the Hearth, there was a big double-door ahead. Xiaoyu chose to go upstairs.

As she went on walking up the stairs, a glowing hand caught her attention. She swiftly ran up the second floor, but to her dismay, it vanished. Bizarrely, the only trace it left was an old camera.

"A camera…" Xiaoyu gasped. She picked it up and examined it. The cover was a bit rusty with small occult features engraved in it. There were the words CAMERA OBSCURA written in Japanese. She checked it out if there were still any film left. A Type-14 film was attached at the back.

All of a sudden, the tie of the 35mm camera on her neck split and it fell on the wooden floor. Her jaw dropped, seeing that it broke.

_Ting! Ting! Ting!_

The second floor room consists of three big drawers and a broken partitioned screen. At the corner, an old faded kimono was hanging on a rusty kimono hanger. The drawers contained some dyeing materials and equipment, to which Xiaoyu had no idea of why. At the right corner, there was a door and the sound was getting _louder._

Xiaoyu went inside and saw a small cubicle enclosed in the room. The sound was exactly coming from there. She found a hole at the far end of the cubicle and peeped inside.

_Ting! Ting! Ting! _

There, she saw a long haired child wearing a red and white Japanese handmaiden's gown, hammering a doll onto the wall – which was already filled with dolls.

Thinking of what purpose the Camera Obscura might have for her, Xiaoyu aimed it at the hole, quickly snapping a photo of the girl. Replacing the hole with her eyes, her heart gripped tightly as the girl turned to see her with a devilish smile before disappearing.

Frightened of what might happen, Xiaoyu ran as fast as she could outside the door, down the stairs, and back to the Hearth area. She almost tripped on the small teapot from running. There, she saw the two ghosts again. The mother held out her hand out to her.

"_Have you…seen…him…?"_

_It would be wise to take their picture…_she thought with a nod, and then snapped the ghosts' photo. Again, they vanished in an instant, leaving no trail of any kind.

And then it struck her. She has to get out of this mansion…escape this place…far from these ghosts…

Tripping a little bit, she ran toward the door she had gone into earlier, and dove back to the foyer. She ran and ran until something like a wind's freezing breeze made her stop.

She craned her head and saw the most hideous thing she would never forget – a topless woman, more of a ghost, whose body was covered up with blue tattoos was walking gradually toward her – moaning in pain and anguish with her scratchy voice that seemed to echo throughout the hallway of the foyer.

Xiaoyu tightened her grip on the Camera Obscura, thinking twice before taking the Tattooed Woman's photograph. However, the more she thought of it, the faster was the woman's pace to her. She just trembled in dread at the woman's fast approach while moaning something aloud.

_"No one will survive..."_

Then to her surprise, her flashlight went dead and the candle from earlier suddenlylit up with a blue flame, making the Tattooed Woman seem to disappear due to the dark. Then, her moans abruptly stopped – and she appeared spuriously in front of Xiaoyu, revealing that her eyes were also filled with tattoos.

"Get away from me!"

Xiaoyu dodged the woman's hand before letting it touch her, and scurried off to the right side of the corridor where the door forthe exitwas found. She screamed as hard as she could while running, tears flowing from her eyes, evading old pots and drawers which were a hustlein her way. The Tattooed Woman was just behind her, running as well.

"_Let me sleep…forever…"_

A freezing, lanky finger merely grazed her shoulder when she passed by a lit blue lantern and broke through the door, snow falling down her head as she continued to run and stopped short when everything she saw slowly blurred out into white.

-o-o-o-

Xiaoyu jolted up from bed, sweating and panting heavily. She found herself back in her bedroom with no sign of sunshine coming from her window, instead, a loud rattling sound of rain could be heard.All of a sudden, a terrible pain jabbed her in the flesh – spreading, cutting right through her shoulder. She looked down at the spot and saw apurple bruise forming widely. The very same spot where the Tattooed Woman had touched her…

Then in a short while, the pain stopped and the bruise vanished. Xiaoyu grunted a bit and let out a small cry.

Her door yanked open, revealing Asuka staring at her with a worried look. "Xiao, I heard you scream. Is everything all right?"

Xiaoyu stared at Asuka for a while, now realizing that she was really back home. "Uh…yeah…I'm fine…just a bad dream…that's all."

"Oh, it must've been really bad…" Asuka said in concern, and was about to close the door when she suddenly remembered something. "Xiao, there's a letter for you downstairs. I mean…it was for my cousin, but I guess you should read it…" she corrected herself.

"Who's it from?"

Asuka thought twice, trying to remember to whom it was from. "A man named Hwoarang Kim…I'll just show it to you after you get dressed."

"Thanks." Xiaoyu replied as she watched Asuka close the door. She was wearing her peach nightgown that has laces on the edges and on the straps. She headed to her closet which was all messy with her unorganized clothes scattered inside.

"It was only…a dream?" She whispered to herself, not concentrating on what to wear. Instead, she pulled out a yellow top with laces again on the straps and gray short shorts, and put them on. She quickly remembered the letter for her. "Hwoarang…Jin's friend maybe…"

_Jin_

He didn't want her to be near him for some reason…The very thought made Xiaoyu writhe in anger and sorrow. Nevertheless, she must find out…but what of the Tattooed Woman? Will she die if she gets near her again? What is she supposed to do?

_"I want to be with him..."_

-o-o-o-

**A/N:**This chapter in this story was I think the longest so far.And I'm sorry it was quite tedious. I also got rid of the Xiaoyu-ghost fighting scenes so that I can focus more on the story…I'm going to update next time, so better check it out and leave me some reviews…now...See ya!


	4. The Letter From a Best Friend

**A/N:** Thank you to my loyal reviewers! Especially to **Henred5**! You guys keep me writing! Those who weren't mentioned, that's okay, I'll put you up again in the next chapter! Okay, here is the story, and I hope you like…

-o-o-o-

_**The Tormented**_

_**By: Elie**_

-o-o-o-

Xiaoyu and Asuka lived in a modern yet dark Japanese house that Asuka and Jin had inherited from their family. Nevertheless, there were still a faint light emitting from the closed curtains. It was awfully cold and quiet as well. Xiaoyu herself, did not like the enigmatic atmosphere in this house, which she preferably called now as her _own _home.

"Good morning Xiao, breakfast is ready." She heard Asuka's voice coming from the kitchen counter. Asuka heard clacking footsteps from above so she knew that Xiaoyu was about to go down.

With a hand, Xiaoyu gathered her shoulder-length raven hair into a neat ponytail and clasped it with an orange rubber band which she had found lying on the floor outside her room. As she went down the stairs, she instantly remembered the letter for Jin.

"Asuka, about the letter…well, can I have it?" Xiao asked politely, gesturing the honor that Asuka, as Jin's cousin, permitted her to be the first one to read something which a family member should be the one to read in behalf.

As usual, Asuka would smile at her deceased cousin's now _ex-fiancée_. Lying on the table counter behind her was the letter from Hwoarang Kim. She took it, and, before turning to Xiao, paused for a moment.

"Umm…Xiao…"

Flopping idly on the nearest couch just a meter away from the kitchen, Xiaoyu wondered what could be the next words that would come out from Asuka's mouth.

"Why would someone close to Jin not know anything about the crash?"

And then, the words themselves hit her. Xiaoyu was left dumbstruck by the question.

Swiveling uneasily on her seat, she transferred to another couch right next to the television. She hoped that Asuka knew the answer herself, for she was totally clueless.

"I don't know Azzy…" She admitted, perplexed even more.

Asuka stood up from her long chair and walked toward her you-may-say _boss_. Reluctantly, she handed down the letter enclosed in a small brown envelope. "That's all right. It was a stupid question anyway…"

As she swirled away, Xiaoyu thought about what she had said for a moment. The question was not stupid, it was – mind boggling…

Excitement rushed through her veins as she held the letter in her hands. Over a month after Jin's accident - _their_ accident - in which she was the only one who'd survived, never did she expect that someone whom Jin _did_ call a close friend to write a letter addressing to him now that he's gone. It must be very important – obviously.

With trembling fingers, she carefully tore the edge of the envelope. Asuka was just sitting on a sofa next to her, watching intently. Then, in her hand was a piece of paper, and on it, there was a readable handwriting.

_Dear Jin,_

_Hey, old buddy! It's been long as I've observed. Sorry for writing this in delay. I had to finish my research a month ago, and I was quite busy then. Now, here I am, all files in my hand, and, I'm beginning to write a book – you know, about the fact sheet on the urban legend where Steve went. He hasn't returned yet still. But I believe he's back in England to publish something about it too. _

_When are you getting married, dude? I still haven't seen this Xiaoyu of yours…hey, is she pretty? If so, maybe she has a younger sister or something. Better recommend me, man. Ha! I was just kidding! Well, anyways, you did mention something about owning a Camera Obscura, right? How in the world did you get it? In my research, the very same camera is associated with the urban legend – the Manor of Sleep._

_I'll tell you more about it after gathering all the information that I could. I'll be keeping in touch with you soon, again._

_Your best-bud,_

_ Hwoarang_

Best friend? Hwoarang Kim was Jin's best friend? Xiaoyu have had never heard of him before. She doubted that Jin was even close to this guy. She knew everything about Jin. Back then, they went to the same school, and together, they were the best of friends. And, that was just so sooner that they've realized their true feelings for each other – that was before their graduation in college…

"Have your cousin ever mentioned about this Hwoarang person?" She asked, neatly folding back the paper, and eventually handing it over to Asuka.

Asuka opened it, and, instead of reading the whole thing, she skimmed down to the bottom part. She eyed her boss in amazement soon after.

"_Your best-bud, Hwoarang_…? Who the hell is Hwoarang?"

"I don't know," Xiao shook her head momentarily and sighed. "He mentioned something about this urban legend or something…"

Asuka twitched her eyebrow. "What urban legend?"

Xiaoyu began to hesitate. That really wasn't a serious issue - just a bad dream…that's all.

"What was Jin's last project anyway?" She asked with a tone of grief in her voice. She was supposedly to avoid discussing things involving her deceased fiancé because it makes her feel depressed.

"His last project…hmmm…" Asuka paused to think, tracing a path of circles on her chin with two fingers. And then, she remembered. "I guess it was about some old village…Oh, why yes! It was the very same village where you had your shoot….yesterday."

Xiaoyu shuddered by the thought. Jin was an anthropologist and a clever researcher. He came to research almost anything about Japanese cultures and traditions. However, the thought of him ending up in an old village that barely even existed, did not cross her mind. Maybe…he did not want her to worry much about him…that's why he didn't tell her…

_Jin…why do you have to go? I have so many things to ask you…so many that I…_

She began to sob quietly, and later did she know that Asuka was gently rubbing her back to ease the pain.

"Now, now, Xiao…" Asuka said comfortingly, as if knowing the reason of her boss' misery. "I know you don't want to talk about him anymore…"

_Wait, Hwoarang said that Jin had mentioned something about having a Camera Obscura…the camera in my dream! _Xiaoyu thought all of a sudden, jolting up form the couch, leaving a startled Asuka looking at her in surprise.

"I've got to go up Jin's room," She stated, immediately walking up the stairs.

-o-o-o-

In the second floor, at the center and dead-end of the hallway, was Jin's door, enclosed between two walls of Xiaoyu and Asuka's bedrooms. There was only one, dim, wall light, hanging on the right wall near Asuka's door. And, the brief walk in the corridor toward it, gave Xiaoyu an uneasy feeling.

_Jin's room…I've never been inside for almost a month…_

To her knowing already, Jin's room was painted in light shades of blue. Although the room was indeed bright, before, now, it would've seemed that some dark, stormy cloud hovered around there. Sliding her sweaty hand on the doorknob, Xiaoyu took a long, deep breath before turning it and opening the door. What happened next was_ not_ what she had expected to see. And, there she felt that her eyes were about to fall from their sockets.

It was like from the past months when she tried to find something in his room. Yes, she wanted to find a book that contained some information about old towns and etc., related to her new photography project. And, to her silent joy, Jin pulled her first into a long, romantic kiss before handing her the book. Ah, the thought of him brought a single tear to cascade down her cheek.

However, the moment she entered the room, everything changed. Sunshine spilled from the opened curtains, letting the room appear really radiant. And, the big boxes containing Jin's stuff after his burial were gone without a trace. This wasn't the case before. Like mentioned, the room was supposedly dusky, curtains and blinders tightly closed, keeping the sun's rays sealed out. Two or three boxes piled up, unorganized.

"Maybe the _Camera Obscura's_ at his desk." Xiaoyu breathed, technically convincing herself to ignore the conspicuous change of her surroundings.

Roaming her hands coolly on the desk filled with anthropology junks, research notebooks, and newspaper cut-outs, her mind could hardly receive anything but the concentration on finding that camera from her dream.

"_Xiao, what is it?"_

A very familiar voice asked, and unconsciously, she answered. "Oh Jin, I just wanted to ask if you have seen –"

Her voice trailed off when she turned her gaze to the bed beside her. No one was there. And, it occurred to her that the room had vaguely altered at all. The boxes at the corner were piled up as usual, curtains and blinders shut tight, and, it was _really_ glum.

All of a sudden, a familiar object caught her attention. And, it was sitting on a lonely spot on top of Jin's crystal cabinet containing old equipments from different places he had been. It was, of no doubt, the _Camera Obscura_.

She took it, nonchalantly. And, when she opened the back part, musty, undeveloped films began to roll out. Then, by instinct, she knew what to do.

"I better get these developed."

With that, she went to the door and turned the doorknob but not opening it at least. Instead, she took a last glimpse of the room before going outside and heading toward the darkroom – where she develops the pictures she takes.

-o-o-o-

"Can you find any information about this?" Xiaoyu said, handing a photograph of a mother and a child to Asuka, of which she had just developed recently. And yes, they were the exact ghosts she had captured using the camera in her dream.

She saw a grim smirk creeping on Asuka's lips as she gave out the photo. But to be safe, she wouldn't tell Asuka anything about her cousin, just _yet_. Not until she was ready to know everything. Because Asuka herself, is the only relative that Jin has, and that they were so close to each other. And, Xiaoyu knew for a fact that Asuka would be gravely affected by this, emotionally.

"Sure!" Asuka replied giddily, yet innocently. She wondered where in the world Xiaoyu got this creepy picture of a blood soaked mother and child wearing yukatas from. Out from some freaky, Japanese horror movie or something?

"So…"

Xiaoyu's voice trailed off as Asuka repeated again. "Sure! I'll really _research_ on this!"

Frowning, Xiaoyu mouthed 'thanks' to her assistant before heading toward the kitchen. She had expected, though, that Asuka would easily take this as a prank or something rather than a serious issue. That's another reason on why she couldn't speak anything about her dream to her. Not that she didn't trust Jin's cousin; it's just that, she knew Asuka isn't ready to know.

_Jin's photograph…_

Another developed photo, the one which she obviously hadn't shown to Asuka, was tucked inside her shirt. It was Jin's photograph taken from the barred hallway of the old mansion yesterday. It struck her again.

_So…my dream is like a bridge to the real world and the…_

No, it's too _supernatural_. It's _unnatural_. The _Other World_ and the _Real World_ are connected only by a dream? Then, if she really wanted to talk to Jin, she still could…only if she dreams of that manor again…

TBC.

-o-o-o-

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! Hope you guys appreciate it and review!


	5. Hour II: The Manor of Sleep

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews people: you know who you are!

-o-o-o-

_**The Tormented**_

_**By: Elie**_

-o-o-o-

**Partitioned Room** – a room where there are Japanese Paper Screens dividing small rooms from the rest.

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw was Jin staring down on her. His paleness made him glow and the glitters of his eyes were fading slowly.

She jolted. "Jin!"

But, hazel eyes did nothing but look at her somberly. "Xiao, I'm sorry…"

Upon hearing Jin's words incredulously, Xiaoyu felt her heart melt. His voice was soothing, and the tone he had was enough to make her feel better.

"About what…?" she asked innocently, but deep down, she knew he was apologizing for the things he said earlier.

Surprisingly, Jin shrugged it off as he hesitantly extended a hand out to her. "Can I…touch you?" he asked out of nowhere.

She smiled from the statement, reaching for his hand in return.

_Ting_

A bell rang, and her mind began spinning until she felt her whole surroundings being altered. And then, the rotating stopped, and Jin was nowhere in sight.

She panicked. Her heart and mind were screaming from the sudden disappearance of her fiancé's soul. And then, it happened.

Looking around, she noticed she was back on the same foyer. Three candles were lit up on top of a barrel at the corner, serving as her starting lights.

Craning her head, she saw the door leading outside. But, she spun again toward the narrow corridor leading further to the mansion.

_Go back or go in…_

She had two choices. Go out the door and forget about this dream, forget about Jin…or, go further in and pursue Jin…

_Ting_

Images of her and Jin together flashed in her mind, and unconsciously, her feet began dragging her toward the small hallway.

_Jin, I'm sorry. But, I want to be with you…_she thought randomly as she slowly began to run, armed with the Camera Obscura in her hands.

She kept on running until she spotted a way on the left side of the hall. Snaking her pockets, she found the flashlight and then aimed it instantly in front of her.

And then, she halted. There was an old, wooden door in front of her. Hesitating no more, she opened it and found her self inside a long, **partitioned room**.

In nervousness, she walked in a fast pace, ignoring a few old drawers she passed by until she reached another door beside a small cabinet with a little Japanese doll sitting on top.

As she turned the knob and swung the door open, the doll fell unexplainably. She quivered at the sight, yet continued to get inside.

There was a staircase leading to the next floor and a blue lantern right in the corner. Without hesitation, Xiaoyu took the stairs, and found herself in another hallway.

From afar left, she saw another stairs leading down and near her was leading upstairs.

She felt numb of the situation. She didn't know where to go first. Taking a deep breath, she decided it was best to take the one leading downstairs.

When she had gotten down, she noticed the walls in the particular area were made of tatami. Interrupting her marveling were moans she couldn't explain.

She walked in further and turned right, seeing a small door made of wood and copper. Her head leaned onto the wall above it, and she listened more intently to the painful sounds being moaned.

They seemed to be men's voices.

Pushing the door, she was now inside a very narrow corridor – far smaller than the one at the foyer.

But when she saw the filament of the camera turn red, she felt her hair stuck out to its roots as a man dressed in rumpled white clothing with a tall court hat walked right through her and headed toward a wall-

- And dissolved, leaving a human bloodstained mark in it. And then, the bloodstain turned black.

Xiaoyu shrunk from the sight, shaking her head to relieve herself from what she saw.

With the camera, she snapped a photo of the wall, now with several human shaped bloodstains, and quickly turned right.

The **Stained Corridor**, as now she would call it, was filled of sacred ropes hanging around its walls. There were also candles lit up at the corners, making it seem like a sacrificial room or something.

But the weird thing was that the human-shaped stains seemed to encircle the walls of a wide square in the middle of the small hallway. Xiaoyu noticed there were two rooms, one was beside her, and the other was further left.

Shrugging, she took the furthest again –and found herself outside – back to where she had started.

Snow was falling, and there were many graves mounted atop each tomb. The familiarity of the place led her to one conclusion: this was where she first saw Jin in her delusion.

_Ting_

The cold now seeped through her clothing, right through her flesh, and she shuddered from the feeling.

_Ting_

She ignored the sound as she held the camera and took a snapshot of the graves. _This place must be the **Grave Courtyard**…_she nodded thoughtfully.

_Ting_

A gasp escaped her lips when she saw Jin's spirit opening another big door across the tombs. "Jin, I'm over here! Jin!" she frantically called out.

_Ting_

But to no avail, Jin entered the next room, and the door shut in an instant.

_Ting_

Xiaoyu held her breath, and ran toward the door, snow dropping right at her face. _Why can't we talk straight? Why do we have to struggle like this? _

_Ting_

Her thoughts were swallowing her as she pushed the door open, and then, she felt her mind skip as the image in front of her turned into a white haze –

_Ting_

- And then, into another location.

"Now, where am I?" she nervously asked herself, her chocolate eyes bolting at every direction. "This place is…"

_Ting_

Right before her was a very long hallway with strange lit candles hanging in the walls' length while a faint illumination coming from the moon seeped from the windows.

_Ting_

Xiaoyu cringed. "Jin?"

A glowing figure caught her sight, and then, its glow dispersed and changed into a more humanlike color. There, she felt herself being lifted up.

"Jin!"

…

Jin heard someone desperately calling out his name as he was about to turn the knob leading to another room.

_Ting_

It was that annoying bell again. He hated that sound. It was as if to tell him that it was time for him to go.

_Ting_

"Jin, I'm right here!"

Turning and letting go of the knob, he saw Xiaoyu running up to him and –

-disappeared.

…

_Jin_

She jolted up and then felt an etching pain spread on her back. She gritted her teeth and then clutched her shoulders tight. She craned her head and saw the tattoo spread further. And for a moment, the pain stopped and the tattoo disappeared.

And then, the door to her room opened, revealing Asuka leaning on the side.

"Hey, sorry if I woke you up, but I'm going to Julia's house today." Asuka said.

Xiaoyu smiled. "Oh, okay…"

Asuka looked at her, and hesitated. "But –"

"No, really. I'm fine on my own." Xiaoyu cut her off.

Asuka shrugged, and waved goodbye.

Xiaoyu shook her head and closed her eyes. She knew it herself, but she wasn't fine at all.

-o-o-o-

**A/N:** Don't worry, if you love Asuka, there will be more of her in **Hour IV: The Subduing Song. **And**, Please review**…it would mean a lot to me and encourage me to write more…so please.


	6. Hour III: The Subduing Song

**A/N:** I want to thank all the beautiful reviewers, if you have questions related to **Fatal Frame**, please contact me and I'll be glad to help.

Bold letters represent an important word…and if you love to follow up or relate to the story, you'll have to understand them.

-o-o-o-

_**The Tormented**_

_**By: Elie**_

-o-o-o-

**Hour III:**

**The Subduing Song

* * *

**

Damn it…this dream would never end. Having a nightmare was never this easy.

Sprawling to sit down, Xiaoyu clutched the camera to her chest and stood up. The first thing she did was check if the camera was fine and aimed it around her.

No doubt of it. She was back again at where she had ended last night…at the **Round Window Foyer**. And she remembered her fiancé going straight to that hallway in front of her…and to_ that_ door.

"I want to see him," she sighed, "But I'm…I…" she didn't want to feel scared because if she really wanted to see Jin, she had no choice but to live in this dream.

This dream, however, was getting more frequent…and she hadn't expected it. And the **Tattoo** growing at her shoulders was almost covering her whole back…it was of a blue and purple **Holly** Tree.

Rubbing her nape, which was covered by her untied raven strands, a bit, she continued and walked toward the **Bell Hallway**, as there were small bells attached to the ropes hanging on the walls.

There was an eerie silence – no gusting of wind, cracking of the doors, morbid humming – except for her high-heeled sandal's footsteps. But all of a sudden, rustling of hay was heard, and craning her neck…she saw another man in white, this time, with a shorter court hat.

He was moaning excellently in that deep, painful voice for an unknown reason. He was walking idly toward her carrying a long staff with a sharp knife at the edge.

Lifting his head up, the man extended a hand. _"Help me…"_ And there, his eyes revealed that he had no irises but an empty void of white.

Fear ripped through her slender form, but summoning the courage to do so, Xiaoyu pulled the camera to her face and snapped a photo out of the man. And to her surprise, the man moaned louder, almost at the top of his lungs…and disappeared.

Xiaoyu stared shockingly at the Camera Obscura in her hands. So, this thing was special after all…whoever invented this maybe had something to do with the whole dream.

In fact, why is it that only she and Jin were the only ones in this dream?

Slightly shivering from what had happened, she slowly turned back at the door in front of her…the very same door where Jin went to.

With excitement rushing to her veins, she placed her hand over the knob…and frowned.

_Damn, it's locked._

Xiaoyu gritted her teeth, lowering her head in dismay. She saw two alternate ways again…left and right. The nearest one was at the left, so she decided to go there.

The door creaked open and she saw a normal looking projector which turned on itself…projecting something. There was a short film of four little girls hammering something she nodded.

It was mute until the rolling of the film up to the last part. Curious, she took the old film reel and read the label: **Impalement.**

"Who took this video anyway?" she asked inwardly, putting the small film inside her pocket. And then, the filament of her camera grew red and she shot the projector with it.

When she spun around to look for an exit, the sight appearing instantly before her almost froze her nerves. And later did she know that the filament was still glowing.

It was a little girl…wearing the same red and white kimono as the girl she had seen in her delusion earlier…but she looked different, and her hair was neatly combed into a tight ponytail with her bangs covering her _eyes_ - her _wicked_ looking eyes.

When she was about to shriek, faint or react in any way, Xiaoyu witnessed how the girl vanished like powder being thrown up in the air. Shuddering, she clutched the camera tighter and stepped back a little, only finding herself in a small alcove with a bookshelf behind the projecting screen.

A book caught her attention. She picked it up and began reading:

**Folklore Notes 1 – "**I've been researching for long now…and finally, I found the shrine that is hopefully connected to the legend of the** "Sleeping Priestess"**…some called it the **"Tattooed Priestess" **because of the blue tattoo that covers the woman's body…Now about the shrine, all I could say is that it's hidden away in the mountains and there're surprisingly no people who come inside. When the snow melts, visitors aren't allowed inside because they carry out a Rite to protect something. A sacred site, maybe. But maybe they do invite men sometimes to preserve the bloodline. And men are called outsiders. It seemed harsh, I thought. But I knew of a Rite that when winter comes, chosen people hide their faces inside the mansion…it seemed to be of a funeral procession. And the Rite is surely connected to the legend."

"No way," she breathed, "No…this isn't true…this is just a dream!"

She ran out of the **Projection Room** and found herself outside an open corridor. And further right, she could see the door leading to the **Hidden Shrine** she had gotten into in her delusion. She realized she was standing at the **Garden Corridor**.

_Ting_

Snow was falling on the sacred Holly tree and poles with skewered Japanese dolls in them at the middle of the corridor. The filament grew red again, and she moved closer to the tree and took a snap…the picture appeared to be men dressed in white with short court hats.

Before walking away, she glanced suspiciously first at the doll tied up on the Holly and shivered.

_Ting_

The bell rang two times again…and Xiaoyu's heart leapt. "Jin!"

She looked around frantically for her fiancé. Unfortunately, he was nowhere in sight, and it gave her the insight that he went into the Hidden shrine again. Xiaoyu turned right and walked there.

_Ting_

_What is it now?_ She was getting pissed of the vicious tingle of that infamous bell, and she ignored it. But when she was about to pass by another open space, she saw another girl walk in deeper into that space, only with a shoulder length hair.

Xiaoyu breathed angrily. What was she supposed to do? Go to that door leading to that Hidden shrine, or pursue the girl for god knows what? Her senses, however, told her to follow the girl.

She angrily did so, discreetly as she could. "I don't give a damn anymore…"

All she wanted was to see Jin again before waking up from this mad nightmare. And she reached the dead end…completely losing track of the girl.

"Where did she go now?" Xiaoyu bit her lip, and in a baffled state, kicked her right foot behind…right at the miniature door behind her back.

Slightly taken aback, she kneeled down and pushed the door open. It won't budge. She sat down in exasperation, pulling her own hair angrily.

The filament was glowing red all along, and she stared at it in wonder. Suddenly, her eyes snapped and she crawled away from the door to get a good shot of it.

Then the picture appeared to be at a different location, with a familiar girl hammering something onto a wall filled with hammered dolls. Hey, everything did look familiar.

"So, is there a curse to this door or something? What does this picture mean?" Xiaoyu shook her head more vigorously…and then, an idea struck her mind.

…

A few hours later, Xiaoyu arrived back at the miniature door weary, and a bit collapsing.

She was exhausted finding her way back to the Hearth Room and up the stairs into the small peep-hole where she saw that gruesome hammering girl and quickly took a photo of her.

Then, like in a split second, an image of a skewered doll appeared and vanished…easily indicating that the curse had finally subsided.

Xiaoyu, like a limp old dog, fell on her chest and did nothing but crawl toward the small door and opened it.

The first thing she saw in her hazy vision was crimson…the walls looked crimson. Blood. Red. Elegant. And then…there was a familiar figure standing, his back toward her. He seemed to be talking…to the shoulder length haired girl.

Xiaoyu dragged herself in, a bit surprised that none of them noticed her. So, she listened to the conversation.

"I'm not going to help you…you're a man," the girl said, "You're going to get caught, and I don't want to get involved…just like Amane!"

"Amane? What are you talking about? I just want to find the girl with a long black hair and – "

"What do you want from the Priestess anyway? Is your name…Kaname? Are you Amane's brother?" the girl asked.

The figure stepped back a little. Xiaoyu realized who it was, but she was too exhausted to shout or move. _Jin…_

"I don't understand what you're saying…what's a Priestess anyway? Who's Amane?" Jin sighed, "Look, I'm just looking for a girl…and she isn't dead, like me."

The girl grimaced. "I don't want to hear excuses! I don't want to help you and that's that!" She vanished right before their eyes.

Jin sighed and turned around. What he saw surprised him.

"Xiaoyu!" he reached down to her and held her in his arms. She felt so warm. How long had it been when he had cradled her like this.

"Jin," Xiaoyu smiled for the first time since, "Finally…I found you,"

"Are you okay? You look so tired," Jin sounded worried, "What did you do?"

Xiaoyu shook her head and nuzzled deeper onto Jin's cold chest. He was cold, but she felt warm to him. She tilted her head up, not bothering to reply to his question, and closed her eyes.

Jin didn't bother to question her any further as he was too frustrated by his own problems in this mansion. Right now, they just had to live the moment.

He leaned down, parted her lips with his cold ones, and applied a deep, soft kiss…and then everything went like a blur to Xiaoyu.

…

For the first time, her eyelids fluttered open in a gentle way. And to her disbelief, her lips felt cold as ice. Their kiss was true, maybe?

Smiling, she closed her eyes again, hoping that they'd be back to where they'd left off.

But this wasn't the end of a happy, contented, ever-after…

Xiaoyu shrieked. She craned her neck and saw the Holly Tattoo of blue and purple had partially covered her back. It felt that the pain was cutting through, ripping off her flesh and then smearing it with newly burnt embers.

Her door slammed open and it was Asuka.

"Xiaoyu!" Asuka ran up to her bed and held her close. "Shh…it's just a nightmare,"

The pain subsided. Xiaoyu's eyes widened. "H-how did you know?"

Asuka smiled nervously. "Uh…I just do,"

"Asuka, do you want to tell me something?" Xiaoyu asked.

Asuka got up to her feet and walked toward the door. "Well yes…it's the pictures you wanted me to research at. Just get dressed and take it from me downstairs."

When she closed the door, she couldn't help but shrug heavily. "My head hurts…"

She walked down the stairs and sat back on the couch, taking her coffee as she watched the rain from the window in front of her.

"It's been raining a lot since," she sipped from her cup, "I don't want to dream _that_ dream again…"

**TBC**

-o-o-o-

A/N: Yes, all the people appearing inside the mansion are FREAKING GHOSTS. But they can kill…and if you die in the dream, you'll disappear in real life. That's in Fatal Frame 3. Now please be kind and **review**…


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